hamilton china

This song was written in New Zealand, the city of Hamilton as it happens, a few days before my flight to China. I'm writing about this now in a rare internet moment I have had recently, as it feels appropriate to print the lyrics of this song because in less than 2 days time, I'm heading east again in life...to Taiwan. I wrote the song live in the front room of the wee hostel in Hamilton. I took the last bed in the hostel, JDs Backpackers. I had arrived on a 3 hour bus journey from Taupo and when I got to the bus depot, there appeared to be no vacancies at any of the hostels, it was July 2007, their winter. Then suddenly there was one bed in JDs, but it was a fair few miles out of town. Luckily the lady who worked there, Bex picked me up and took me there in their mini-van! And from entering I realised it was a fun hostel. An old worn acoustic guitar gaped up at me on entering the lounge. I was in urgent need of a strum, having gone more than a month without a guitar, and so I penned the song "Hamilton China", a song written in Hamilton about my trip ahead to China.

It was made even better when I met Yang, a local cleaner, who was from China, a man of international spirit and free talking, and it was a conversation with him about China and the fact I'd never heard of Tiananmen Square that got me strumming the line "the only reason that I've heard of China is because I bought a map and it had China on it..." and so the song progressed, written and sung in front of 4 others in JDs lounge. I later added some extra lyrics and a verse, following on from my actual experience in beijing and badaling, china!


written - 28.07.07

collection - northern range (2007 - track 5)

where - hamilton, north island, new zealand

about - my trip ahead to china

inspired by - yang xixao (from china)

performed live - JDs hostel lounge, hamilton

audience - yang, a danish guy, a guy from bristol and bex, the hostel lady

lyrics -

the only reason that ive heard of china
is because i bought a map and it had china on it
and i hope that we all find out freedom
in china

the day before i had a plane to china
i wrote this song about a plane to china
and its easy to find some freedom
in china

i hadnt even heard/of tiananmen square
and so the forbidden garden's forbidden
this man is english i can understand him
where's the bar around here?


the only reason that ive heard of china
is because i bought a map and it had china on it
and i hope that we all find out freedom
in china

the day before i had a plane to china
i wrote this song about a plane to china
and its easy to find some freedom
in china

so much smog and you say you eat dog
at the huntong's im beijing doubt
yet only by luck i have peking duck
my china nightclub's european


the only reason that ive heard of china
is because i bought a map and it had china on it
and i hope that we all find out freedom
in china

the day before i had a plane to china
i wrote this song about a plane to china
and its easy to find some freedom
in china

my china nightclub's european
my china nightclub's european

(i won't be without you)

written - 18/03/05

about - false love

collection - room card only, 2004 (track 18)

lyrics -

who put the fire in my heart out?
i'm staring at a starless sky
traffic waiting at the roundabout
i've got that glint in my eye

but i won't be without you
not like a dream where i don't wake up

i won't be without you

i won't be without you

i won't be without you

i won't be without you

i won't be without you

i won't be without you

a powerful reality

written - 29/6/2004

about - dreams in life

collection - only me (2004) track 7

lyrics -

these clouds of mine are drifting by
and they won't tell me why
my local street looks american

the dreams we have you understand
are what God might have planned
before the world was counterfeit

hey hey hey
i was looking away
from the time of my life
hey hey hey at what price?

in life's uplands you never land
upon the golden sand
we read about as school children

on summer nights my parasites
are never by my side
they're locked inside treasure chests

hey hey hey
i was looking away
from the time of my life
hey hey hey at what price?

don't think you're alone
don't feel you're alone
everybody's in the same boat
pray it's not the titanic

collapse italy

written - 2006

collection - charing cross (track 4)

lyrics -

i've been round hers again
these nights just pass me by
i won't deny myself
the right to make her mine

but maybe she won't have me
i'm a spark that she won't light
those two stars they travelled together
but never quite collide

you can hold your head up high

written - 1998

lyrics -

standing on the sun
is not as hot as i imagined
at least the earths a safety net
holding out a gun
for the ground youre standing on
makes a man no less a man

you can either stand and cry
or you can hold your head up high

crime is almost gone
as we fill our rights with wrongs
a preacher stands reluctantly
bullets pass my head
fifteen people lying dead
innocence is null and void

you can either stand and cry
or you can hold your head up high

i've got nothing to kill

written - 2006 - 2007

collection - charing cross (track 3)

lyrics -

my tongue's a taste of chardonnay
the time is ticking fast
this life has watched me come and go
the chemists help me last

i feel i'm in control
but i don't know what of
my destiny is do predictable
i know i've lost my soul

i've got nothing to kill
so i'm not your suspect

my lips sucked out the chardonnay
my glass an empty heart
people notice i'm there again
and have been from the start

i feel i'm in control
but i don't know what of
my destiny is so predictable
i know i've lost my soul

i've got nothing to kill
so go find your culprit

not rising

written - 2000

collection -

about - greysteel massacre, londonderry, halloween night, 1993 (dark times)

lyrics -

problem still hasn't been solved
mainly due to lack of trust
but who could force a man
to sit beside a killer?

without some kind of fear
i could not be standing here

but the rising sun's not rising tonight
in its innocent yet torn apart world
and the rising sun ain't rising tonight
in a sky so dark i can't see the moon

and the sorrow doesn't end there
everyone watches the news
and where is all this leading?
to another grave yard question mark?

without my native land
i could never shake your hand

but the rising sun's not rising tonight
in its innocent yet torn apart world
and the rising sun ain't rising tonight
and in times to come it won't rise again

without a loaded gun
i'm the same as anyone

but the rising sun's not rising tonight
in its innocent yet torn apart world
and the rising sun ain't rising tonight
in a sky so dark i can't see the moon

the way it isn't

this song is one of my favourites, envisaging a young man who is a terrorist in northern ireland, i wrote this song about not knowing the answers for the problems we have had in our wee country. there is a sense of reality to this tune, a real life reflection on terrorism. the main subject is how newspapers report us as being always wrong and they tell it "the way it isn't", hence the song's title, changed from the original of "standing on my own"

written - 2001

about - northern ireland

lyrics -

in my homeland forlorn
the sun shines down upon
a tattooed youth
his mind a microwave
of loss and feeling brave
in disrepute

my eyes bore into him
beneath a sky undimmed
by fear and callousness

i've worked out why my feet are cold
is that why i'm not getting old
the winter air won't let me know
the summer breeze won't let me go
and i'm a faded mural

in bloodshot countryside
rain does it's best to hide
un-needed graves
despite an empty hand
a balacalavad man is suspicious
another ambulance can't take much more of this
pray it's a fire

i never got my fortune told
what that means i'll never know
the winter breeze won't let me know
the summer air won't let me go
and i'm a faded mural

another paper tells
it the way it isn't
we're front page news
and when we live in peace
i'll keep my memories
the nights of fear

i've worked out why my feet are cold
is that why i'm not getting old
the winter air won't let me know
the summer breeze won't let me go
and i'm a faded mural

in my home town forlorn
the sun shines down upon
a tattooed youth

Acoustic Settee Version, Southbourne, 2009

charing cross

written - 25/09/2006

about - london trains, in particular my daily journeys to and from the mythical station of "charing cross", is this the red herring for "strand", "embankment" or "trafi's q"

lyrics -

no-one wants to talk to me
i feel so statue-esque
the morning breaks the ice of dawn
nobody looks impressed

it's no surprise
that some of us would rather close our eyes

and you'll be sleeping on your own
if you don't get out at charing cross

no-one wants to look at me
i'm not invisible
each station fades a new crowd in
conversation minimal

its obvious
that most of us would rather not get up

but somehow everyone's the same
when you get out at charing cross

you won't make up the time you've lost
this train will stop at charing cross

you don't get back the love you lost
when your train stops at charing cross

you don't know who'll be hugging you
till you get off at charing cross

away from the world

this song is about hiding away from the world and feeling sad and lonely and the need to hide from people with your fears. i hope a lot of people can relate to this song, the chorus of which is simply "we cloak ourselves in black to hide away from the world" and that was inspired by a teacher/lecturer at bournemouth university during 2005.

written - gradual song, 2003 - 2007. main part written november 2005

collection - twenty five your havin a laff (track 12)

lyrics -

i've found some space
without any hurt
resting my head away from the world

i need some time
alone with my thoughts
working them out away from the world

we cloak ourselves
in black to hide away from the world

my little enclave away from the world

i've lost my friends
no reasons why
i guess i'll hide away from the world

i've hurt myself
too many times
but hurts don't hurt away from the world

we cloak ourselves
in black to hide away from the world

my little enclave away from the world

we cloak ourselves
in black to hide away from the world

my little enclave away from the world

moment of truth

written - 1998

lyrics -

yesterday can't be erased
now's the time to turn the page
cos it's just a dropped stitch
in life's tapestry

but this is my moment of truth
and i'm too scared to look
this is my moment of truth
it'll either send me up or down

tomorrow can't be delayed
now's the time to look away
cos it's just a locked door
on life's corridor

but this is my moment of truth
i don't have any excuse
this is my moment of truth
it'll either send me up or down

this is my moment of truth
and i'm too scared to look
this is my moment of truth
it'll either send me up or down
it'll either give me pride or pain

it's too late to read the book
and i don't know which way to look

it's too late to read the book
and i don't know which way to look

now's the time to turn the page
cos yesterday can't be erased

give the girl a bone

you could be forgiven for thinking this is a song about pornography. it kind of is, its that era of my life when i was out in pubs, clubs and bars chatting up the girls. the song was written in july 2004. its actually not really me this song, more of a stereotype from english people i have met and known over the years.

written - bournemouth bars, 1st july 2004

collection - room card only (track 2)

lyrics -

these days you find it easier to smile
because you'd found yourself
you'd been away a while

another bar another beer
the lady in the corner
doesn't want to drink alone
give the girl a bone

these days you know life moving slow
because you've lost yourself
you don't know where to go

another dream another lie
the apple of your eye
isn't worthy of the throne
don't give the girl a bone

sandwich child

back in 2004 i was working in the heathlands hotel in bournemouth's east cliff. i worked with a half persian half german lady called hamta. she was very distinctive. one night she described herself as a "sandwich child" cos she was the middle of her siblings. i loved the term and wrote the song within days, also honing in on the conversations we had including one where she was fed up with "this english life". after a few shifts i never saw her again...

written - 3/10/2004

about - hamta, the sandwich child

inspiration - hamta from heathlands hotel

lyrics -

in montreal you lost it all
strange numbers on your phone
your persian rug has had enough
the police follow you home

the world doesn't love you
you're just a sandwich child
you wouldn't drink champagne out of a tea cup

in london town the sun goes down
drink put me in prison
your northern heart a world apart
don't buy the drugs they sell

the world doesn't need you
you're just a sandwich child
you wouldn't have a chandelair in your council flat

in germany paid harmony
you're homeward bound at last
the english life of sleepless nights
the chemists help you last

the world doesn't want you
you're just a sandwich child
you wouldn't drive a limosine through north belfast

the truth

written - 1998

about - as it suggests, a form of truth and reality from life on this here planet so it is

lyrics -

the day grows old over your bones
the night digs deep into your sleep
and all you get is a salary a week

listen now if you've got a minute
keep reaching till you find your limit
if you fail it doesn't matter
cos you can only go up or down
on life's ladder

the time ticks past ever so fast
the world spins round out of design
and all you get is a memory to last

listen now if you've got a second
keep reaching until fortune beckons
if you fail it doesn't matter
cos you can only go up or down on life's ladder
on life's ladder

now you can have no excuse
cos i've just told you the truth

coming off the bug

the bug in this instance is alcohol, and my desire to come off it, and stop. its ironic now that i don't really drink. i haven't had an alcoholic drink in the UK since late February 2009. but before in my life, it was a different story. especially the day i wrote this. i had just turned 20. i didn't really have any problems or issues in life back then. it was simple. i worked to go out with my friends. i worked in tesco at springhill. on my 20th birthday i worked until 3 pm and then headed out drinking in bangor. i drank too much into the night. last thing i knew was a taxi home and pouring a pint over my mate Mike in the Windsor pub. times were bad. the next morning was the worst experience ever. i didn't have to be in work, but i woke up, now aged 20. i had left my life as a teenager behind forever. life wasn't actually that great. alcohol was a big part of my life. that morning being 20 for the first time, i went shopping with Mum, and 3 times had to leave the supermarket for the toilets to throw up, barf up, be sick. i realised right then i should give up alcohol, but i didn't, though i stopped for 2 weeks. now i'm not drinking at the moment and feel so much better. it cannot be that hard to "give up the bug."

written - march 2000

about - giving up alcohol, late nights, hangovers

lyrics -

like falling in love
coming off the bug was easy
all it took was a mind that wasn't ready

while losing the plot
i almost forgot my options
either come back, or admit that i'm not welcome

high in the world to low in the world
high in the world then low in the world
in less than 24 hours

i've had enough
coming off the bug believe me
flashbacks cold sweats unwanted memories

with victory in mind i'm leaving behind commitment
at least i'm still aware that i'm not with it

high in the world to low in the world
high in the world then low in the world
in less than 24 hours

out of focus

written -

lyrics -

you need to clear your head
you don't know what you need
you need to change your friends
cos they're your enemies

you don't know where to start
you don't know when to stop
you've been sending letters cos your voice is not enough

but you're only here on earth once
you might as well live it up
from the womb to the tomb
live everyday like the last

you don't care whats ahead
you cling to whats behind
you've been in the background
out of focus all along

you tried to tell the truth
it all came out as lies
you've broken every rule
you're changing your disguise

but you're only given one chance
you might as well live it up
from the cot until you rot
don't let the moments pass

WTC site

whilst touring new york in 2007, i visited the gruesome spot of 9.11, the twin towers, ground zero, the world trade centre, WTC site. it was a very sombre sad moving experience indeed. i put pen to paper almost immediately. you dont need me to tell you what the song is about.

written - 12.07.2007

about - 11.09.2001

lyrics -

what slow kamikaze in a fire to burn us out?
you see the empire state so silent
all your staten island lost was a crowd so open armed
you saw the empire state building

so your central park so green you cant recycle
if only 5th avenue was 5th
and this rockafeller has rocked so out of time
your subways are numbers, so you can count

all the bodies in this world you've never found
out why there's no need to even try
park place sunday wtc site

this smell reminds us in everyday we lose
you crossed the brooklyn bridge
and this museum you think its rotterdam anywhere
all you can drink tonight

your circle line is a boat and no way from a to b
your city always asleep
we photograph French statues you claim to be your own
so green i'm northern irish jade with envy

all the trains to grand central are never full
up to my eyes in baseball or
world trade centre wtc site
and i walk away wtc site

stepping stones to canada

i wrote this song in 2001 on my first trip to canada, but in fact the idea behind the song is one of the earliest memories in life i have. that is because when i was a child, i once had a dream where i walked on stepping stones to canada, from northern ireland. in reality there is no way that it can be done, as there are no stepping stones across the atlantic ocean, but i still love the idea, a dream like wisdom where it can be possible. just imagine it - walking on stepping stones to canada. then in 2001 i actually went to canada and was quite amazed by the three places i'd visited - toronto, niagara and winnipeg. walking through canada, the song came instantly and i was surprised that it totally turned out the way i wanted.

written - 2001

idea formed - 1984 ish

what its about - walking all the way to canada on stepping stones

lyrics -

you might not believe me
every photo shows my face
the first volcanic iceberg
the last developed state

on a bridge half underwater
on a sky bound submarine

i may have been dreaming
but i know i walked on stepping stones to canada

this place is amazing
every image is for real
another photo for my memory
another smile in my year

walking late downtown toronto
in the night club marathon

my eyes don't deceive me
because i know i walked on stepping stones to canada

god's sky above me
almost makes me feel at home
belfast's hidden beauty
shadowed on toronto's wall

walking late night time niagara
in the night club marathon

you might not believe me
but i know i walked on stepping stones to canada

higher

this song is one of my favourites. i wrote it in 2004 in bournemouth just on the way to my job working by the beach, with the sun beating down and my thoughts of a fun free world, this song came instantly and worked its way into my head. i changed the title a lot, even called it "bournemouth song" and "sun beats" before realising the song itself takes us higher...

written - summer 2004

where - bournemouth

on collection - only me (2004) and twenty five yer havin a laugh (2005)

lyrics -

SUN beats down DOWN down on me
every THOUSAND miles i go
love love LOVE don't come for FREE
that's ALL you'll need to know

rain BEATS down down down on ME
every THOUSAND miles i go
guns guns GUNS come shoot him down
pretty GRAVES all in a row

these days take me higher higher her higher her her
higher in the sun
higher in the rain
higher in the fun
higher in the pain

rain beats DOWN down down on me
every thousand MILES i go
world WORLD world sleeps peacefully
waiting for a wind to BLOW

time ticks TICKS ticks by so fast
every thousand miles i GO
memories won't EVER last
that's all you need to know

these days take me higher higher her higher her her
higher in the sun
higher in the rain
higher in the fun
higher in the pain

nothing's falling apart

this song is a negative for sure, something when everything goes wrong in life and you have to convince yourself that its not your fault and really....nothing is falling apart.

written - 2001 ish

about - title suggests

lyrics -

defeat is catching up on me
i feel i've lost the drive of youth
my ups are equalled by my downs
my lies dont ever hide the truth

the days are leaving me behind
there are no hills left to climb

nothing's falling apart
something's bound to go wrong
every candle I light ends up going out
every sky I see falls down on me

again i'm stripped of all belief
and almost dragged into defeat
my lows are equalled by my highs
my truth dont ever hide my lies

the keys are opening no doors
there are no rules any more

nothing's falling apart
something's bound to go wrong
every candle I light ends up going out
every sky I see falls down on me

nothing's falling apart
something's bound to go wrong
every candle I light ends up going out
every sky I see falls down on me

gunned down

written - 2004

about - fascism

lyrics -

even in my calmest state i'm more fascist than you
it matters where you come from
it doesn't matter what you do

i've seen it all - my water tap stopped running
dividing walls - we never know what's coming

gunned down without a fight
the men to put it right gunned down
politics is just a loaded rifle
these days a vote is basically a bullet

every ring of my telephone i'm a wanted man
you never lock your door at night
you never feel at home

my street's on fire - every councillor has asked for peace
smoke fills the air - innocent I never claimed to be

gunned down in broad daylight
the images of fright gunned down
parties are armed units
these days a speech prepares a murder

mussolini hyphonated
that horthy so cleverly created
this ultra ruling
your apricot thatcher wished she knew more fruit

guns guns guns it prepares a murder

she didn't waken early enough to catch the morning sun

written - november 2005

original title - cant have you/untitled

lyrics -

she didnt waken early enough
to catch the morning sun
her fates diverted her to me
these days we're dreaming of

i think i found my soul in her
in days that passed me by
my eyes bore slowly into her
her heart so clearly mine

and i'll hold your hand forever
in suns that never fade
if i could have you

she left her heart in camden town
awareness unaware
the forlorn sounds on promenades
an echo to declare

i know i lost my soul to her
in days from me she stole
our ways so naturally divide
her heart was never mine

and she's in my mind forever
when every effort fails
and i cant have you

she didnt waken early enough to catch the morning sun

far from losing you

this song i found again recently, i wrote it about my Mum and the time i spent away from her. we always worry of losing someone close to us and this was a fear. that was 5 years agao and for the first time i've re-assessed the lyrics and i can't quite fathom them. it was written in bournemouth in 2004, for a compilation called "room card only."

written - 4th july 2004

compilation - room card only (track 3)

about - mum, muriel blair scottne

lyrics -

a cold breeze of god's air
has left me unaware
the more i spend away
i never count the days
on every street i walk
i'm sinking in the lough
though my dreams may be impressive
i admit they're all so selfish

but now i realise
i didn't have a clue
and i'm praying i'm far from losing you

i should have seen it coming
why was i clock watching?
whenever my phone rings
it could be anything?
each knock on my door
i hope's a salesman
it was you who brought me up
only your tea fills my cup

i should have known
its not all good news
that's why i hope i'm far from losing you

i'm far from losing you
so don't go away

ghost town

written walking home in the cold from a night club in bangor, northern ireland, year 2000. everywhere was iced up and so dead. in fact there was no sign of life...i only found out later there was already a song called ghost town by the specials.

written - winter 2000

lyrics -

each cloud that lands on my shoulder
sure scares the hell out of me
each day i'm not getting older
it sure scares the hell out of me

footsteps in the dark
surround an empty heart
shadows fall
upon a hidden wall
nobody waits around in search of the ghost town

each sky is dark and unfriendly
it sure scares the shit out of me
each ghost endeavours to find me
it sure scares the hell out of me

lamposts in the wind
defend a devil from within
noises fade
until the silence waits
nobody hangs around in search of the ghost town

game over

written - 8/7/2004

in - bournemouth, dorset

collection - room card only (track 1)

subject matter - can be about love, defeat, the end of something, a football match or a cheesecake, favourite line is "when grown men are forced to cry, you know that its game over..."

lyrics -

the dream has gone
the spirits died
gaze lonely at the sky
don't spare a thought
for those who ought
to give a reason why

you didn't think it would end so soon
you weren't really watching
when you see the stars fading away
you know that its game over

this lifes too short
the lists too long
you never get things done
walking home through the rain
you know you'll find the sun

you should've stopped to say goodbye
the moments passed away
when grown men are forced to cry
you know that its game over

you didn't bid your fond farewells
emotioned to your brim
amidst the drama of defeat
you almost missed game over

its like you lost a lifelong friend
each era's curtain falls
you didn't need to read the news
to find out its game over

demonheaded

written - 2004

lyrics -

nobody knows me and the pain i'm going through
days have passed me by without a smile
even though i've tried to explain my world to you
i chose to build my house on stoney ground

i look away into a faded sunset
all alone like a garden knome
i step across a barricaded culture
educated demon headed

spanish towns

In 2003 my parents and my kid brother booked a holiday to spain, a place called st. miguel on the spanish east coast fairly close to alicante. i decided to join them and took 5 days off work and booked flights. on the last day, they got an early flight and i had a day to kill. i spent the entire day as a lonely tourist in alicante, where i wandered the streets and looked out of place. i had already sweated myself out on the trip walking through la zenia, valencia and various other random spanish towns. i got chatting to ladies in alicante none of whom spoke very good english, although the song in the end was inspired by florencia, an argentinian working in a city centre bar in alicante. as mtv played a video for oasis song "don't go away" i put pen to paper and wrote "spanish towns"


written - august 2003

about - valencia, alicante and any spanish town or city really

lyrics -

i've had too many dreams today
that i can't get to sleep
in spanish towns i don't belong
i look so out of place

i had too much to drink today
it didn't go to waste
in spanish towns i'm losing all
my northern irish taste

in the sun i have been drinking
in the bars i have been thinking
all these spanish towns remind me of the war

i think i caught the sun today
the sweat was dripping down
i'm the outcast you don't meet
in every spanish town

i almost missed the bus today
i couldn't read the signs
my sense of humour less aware
of sense in spanish towns

through the streets i have been walking
to the locals i was talking
all these spanish towns look lonely as they are

in the bars i have been drinking
all the beers i have been sinking
all the spanish girls are smitten by my charm

i had too much to drink today
i had too much to drink
my ulster heart was wide awake
in spanish towns i think

in the sun i had been drinking
in the bars i had been thinking
all the spanish towns remind me of the war

i know the people

written - 28.03.2004

collection - only me (track 4)

lyrics -

can't see beyond the twilight
can't hear above the skylight
can't look around the moonlight's blinded me

can't seem to find the problem
can't laugh till i can't cry
can't feel myself explode - a bombed human

i don't recognise this place
each vision seems so false
i only know the people
i don't know what i've forgot

won't reach beyond the starlight
won't sink beneath the sea bed
won't find myself amongst the crimson skies

won't watch the sun go downward
won't catch the moon lit sky
won't care for global warming - greenhouse doubt

i've climbed into another world
it never feels the same
i think i know the people
i'm the image of repeat

i think i know the people
i'm the image of repeat
i'm the image of repeat

new jersey girls

As far as i recall this was the first time ever I put lyrics to music, and that was in late summer 1996. I only ever started to learn the guitar in 1996, my Dad always had one, but until Oasis came along, I was never compelled to pick it up and blast out a few tunes. So, "New Jersey Girls" is really my first ever song, and i still love it, because of the memory, the time, how easy it was to write and how basic it is. The song itself came about on a family holiday to Florida, USA in July 1996. It was my first ever time out of Europe, and although I had just turned 16, I still felt very young. While walking through Walt Disney World on my own one day, I joined a queue for something in one of the rides, soon my siste Cathy had joined me in the queue, and behind me were two very attractive girls. They looked about my age, one of them asked me something and that was it, I was talking away to them as the queue went down. I don't remember either of their names, but remember that both were so beautiful with gorgeous voices. As the queue went down they asked who I was with (except Cathy) and where I was from. I was with my family, but they had gone somewhere else with kid brother Daniel and when I said "Northern Ireland" they asked in total US accents "wow man, where is that?". Soon we had stopped talking, joined a ride separately and said our goodbyes. Cathy might remember the conversation actually.

But then on a stroke of fate, later I was enjoying an ice cream and I met them both again...these days I'd have asked for a drink, a date, a phone number, probably add as friend on facebook. Back then, that was it though. My two lovely New Jersey Girls had come and gone into the night. Of course I never saw them again, but I wrote this song that night in the hotel room. If you're out there, my two New Jersey Girls...this one's for you!

written - florida, usa, july 1996 (guitar added august 1996)

about - two beautiful new jersey girls

lyrics -

i don't see them anymore
and as the days go on
i think of my new jersey girls
and where have they gone

i've seen them twice but never since
where are my new jersey girls?
i need your comfort now

where are my new jersey girls?
where are my new jersey girls?
where are my new jersey girls?
i need your comfort now

i only have my memories
and as the days go by
i long for my new jersey girls
to fall from the sky

i hear them laugh
i see them smile
where are my new jersey girls?
i'm running out of time

where are my new jersey girls?
where are my new jersey girls?
where are my new jersey girls?
i need your comfort now

i would search the world
for my new jersey girls

new jersey girls come back to me

londonderry air

i owe this song to an old mate called chris ragg. chris used to live in londonderry, and i often visited him there, mainly in the year 2000. i spent some time on my own on days when chris was at work. during this time i scanned the walls and streets on both sides and enjoyed the place. it is northern ireland's second biggest city, both in size and population. it has a very interesting past and has sadly been caught up in the problems between protestants and catholics, but i wanted to portray a positive image, and i hope i achieved this. the song itself wasn't even meant to be typical of northern ireland, more a universal song on seeing and experiencing a new city and enjoying its vibrancy. i like the lines "the smiles on people's faces is a welcome sight" and "you might look like a stranger but you're not in danger."


written - march 2000

about - londonderry, northern ireland's second biggest city

lyrics -

no sky falls on me
as far as i can see
all roads seem to lead to prosperity

the bridge links the past
to the present at last
the smiles on people's faces is a welcome sight

and you might look like a stranger
but you're not in danger
walking through the fair londonderry air

all roads lead me home
an overturned traffic cone
all that's left of a terrorist war zone

and the river helps me
send myself to sleep
upon these walls they built a past unique

and you might feel you're an outcast
cos you're not in belfast
walking through the fair londonderry air

the smiles on people's faces is a welcome sight

and you might look like a stranger
but you're not in danger
walking through the fair londonderry air

acoustic version, june 2009:

everybody's army

this lyric was written in 2003 - 2004 and is about all the wars and useless fights in the world, when in reality we should all be sticking together as one on this planet and enjoying life. i could easily have called the song "nobody's war" as well.

written - 2003/2004

collection - only me (track 1)

lyrics -

too many people know me
i don't know who they are
the enemies so friendly
they'd never start the war

the rain just passes through me
i guess my soul is cleansed
the barricades before me
divide me from the rest

but everybody's army will fight nobody's war
don't be piggy in the middle
don't state what class you are

the world must have an ending
don't know where to begin
the message i'm not sending
looks like none of us will win

i thought you understood me
our tragedies comic
in time you will discover
our comedies tragic

but everybody's victory is someone else's end
don't enjoy the journey
don't never shake their hand

everybody's violence caused everybody's peace
don't pretend your war less
never lose your friends or choose your enemies

everybody's army will fight nobody's war
if you can't defend your birthright
you don't know who you are

if you can't defend your birthright
you don't know who you are

when the world stops

written - 12.04.2005

collection - twenty five your havin a laff (track 1)

lyrics -

we're getting old but most of us don't want to
we're always told the world won't spin around you
we're second best but some of us are selfish
we're scared of death because life is just too precious

walking through the years of you
i shed 5 million tears for you but i won't wait for you
when the world stops
so don't wait for me
when the world stops

we're rock'n'roll guitars replaced my girlfriend
we're lonely souls drenched in self importance
we're full of life as if each day's a funeral
the crimson sky bleeds out the pain of losing

standing at the edge of time
i dreamed i own this world of mine but i'm not prepared to wait for you
when the world stops
so don't wait for me
when the world stops

(over) crowded london

i had been to london manys a time in life, and although i enjoy the general life and hussle and bustle of it, i often hate its lack of culture, identity and totally over crowdedness. in 2006 i finally moved to london, where i lived in shepherd's bush for a while, and worked in hammersmith for a pr agency, bite communications. this was when i saw the busy-ness of it, day in and day out and wrote the song/lyric "(over) crowded london". in this lyric, i hoped to capture the various spots of london where i visited and spent my days as well as people's business and the fact that on the tube/london underground, nobody talks to each other. the city has no real appeal in many aspects, and is in fact totally over crowded, for the only reason being there are lots of jobs there so people want to live there. see this as a guided tour of the uk's capital city...


written - 2006

collection - charing cross (track 1)

subject - as title suggests

lyrics -

people far and wide decide how much i pay for butter
walking through the underground these people know its winter
the man at the barrier could be a rock n roll star
people are too busy to pay each other compliments

we're not at the olympics bjt everybody's running
my aeroplane's in clouds above over crowded london

countries unapparent just a maze of pretty people
shopping at oxford street just to be fashionable
snow at monument station so white i'm invisible
i clutch a coffee which i bought at lesiz q

the man reading the tube map can't pretend he's cultured
the union flag will always fly over crowded london

democracy has brought this town a city drug
collected thoughts at charing cross too personal to say
this tower was built before all england changed
trafys q a fitting sign that everything remains

this lady wouldn't know a pub if tj bernard hit her
another glimpse of innocence over crowded london

posing for a photo i'm a false celebrity
the sky so dark at regent's park the blackness is obscene
a bus can take you anywhere i pay a man for busking
at covent garden i couldn't find the garden

i stand out from the crowd because i stand out from the crowd
but no-one stops to notice me
over crowded london

where's the hall at whitehall? no queen at queensway
i should have bought an all day travelcard
the man wears blue for millwall the surrey quay's unlocked
somehow those who work here wouldn't want to live here

i had some egg and bacon at piccadilly station
this town should really call itself over crowded london

i notice the central line doesn't go to centre
at custom house they never checked my passport
half the underground is actually overground
at oxford circus i couldn't find the circus

i stand out from the crowd because i stand out from the crowd
but no-one stops to notice me
over crowded london

** please note that the northern line ironically goes the most south. that city confuses the hell out of me.

ACOUSTIC VERSION, Bangor, Northern Ireland, September 2007:


ACOUSTIC PART VERSION, Wood Lane, London, England, August 2006:


ACOUSTIC EARLY VERSION, Bournemouth, England, March 2006:

my feet don't touch the ground

in the year 2000, i wrote this song about being in love, even though i had never been in love at the time (and in fact it was only during 2009 that i finally fell in love). the song is about a person who goes un-noticed because of love. nothing else is important in life any more because that person has love. hence the lines where they dont need an umbrella in the rain and being camouflage in every background. this is one of my personal favourites.

written - 2000

subject - being in love

lyrics -

drugs are not on my diet
without sleep i'm dayless
defeat is closer than victory
i pretend to enjoy your company

but i'm camouflage in every background
when i stop loving you my feet don't touch the ground
du da du da du
oooh du da du da du

my calendar is empty
same goes for my diary
i press balance enquiry
the cash machine ignores me

at posh awards i'm teetotal
the end is never close
my feet don't touch the ground
du da du da du
oooh du da du da du

in desert suns i've no shadow
in rain - no umbrella
in snow - no duffelcoat
my feet don't touch the ground


but i'm camouflage in every background
when i stop loving you my feet don't touch the ground
du da du da du
oooh du da du da du

for sleeping dogs

this song came from an "only fools and horses" episode i watched, called "sleeping dogs lie." the song is about feeling its the end of something.

lyrics -

i find myself staring at the clouds
in average health and full of pride
i wrote this song for sleeping dogs

i'm singing this song like this is the end
it's all because i've no dreams left
i'm singing this song like this is the end
might as well be

i buy a drink to quench my thirst
each sip is worth a journey home
i wrote this one for sleeping dogs

i'm singing this song like this is the end
it's all because i've no dreams left
i'm singing this song like this is the end
might as well be

no end

i remember democratic unionist leader Ian Paisley walked out of a meeting with Sinn Fein in 1997 and i decided to write a song that there is "no end" to the ongoing trouble in northern ireland. this encapsulates the anger of 1997, drumcree and life in northern ireland at the time. I wrote it with michael mcclelland one night, it came very easily and was probably the first song i ever penned about northern ireland. at the time it seemed like there was "no end", but there was...

written - bangor, october 1997

subject matter - ongoing troubles in northern ireland

written by - jonny scott blair and michael mcclelland

lyrics -

its hard to tell if its day or night
because everyone is kept in the dark
all around us the people are sleeping
despite what they think they know

papers only tell the truth
tv too, so what's the use?

i've looked everywhere and there is no end
the godfathers have control
i've looked all around and there is no answer
talking's no good without action
talking's no good without action

i've looked everywhere and there is no end
the godfathers have control
i've looked all around and there is no answer
talking's no good without action
talking's no good without action
smoking's no good without cancer

in this world with no heaven i'm writing the book with no end

(lyrics incomplete at present, some verses are lost)

it is now safe to return

inspired by the james bond film "the man with the golden gun", in summer 1999 i wrote this song. i was living in a small house with my parents in dundonald at the time and every week there was a james bond film on UTV. i taped them all, and took some lines or ideas maybe from "the man with the golden gun" and came up with this idea that the danger is over and we can return. i have no idea where in the film the idea came from. i only recently played the song in my bedroom for the first time in about 9 years.

written - august 1999

about - james bond the man with the golden gun

lyrics -

it is now safe to return
there are no bullets in my gun
in the sun my tears have dried
sends a shiver down my spine

it is now safe to return
defeat is mine to burn
in the rain i'm washed away
flooding out the enemy

i'm still not convinced this is the final curtain
i'll load up my gun until i know for certain
i've been down this road too many times already
so you think i'd know which way to go
so you think i'd learn which way to turn

it is now safe to return
all my innocence has gone
reputation still intact
pride forever in my heart

it is now safe to return
my freedom has been earned
windows smashed broken homes
someone else's danger zone

i'm still not convinced this is the final curtain
i'll load up my gun until i know for certain
i've been down this road too many times already
so you think i'd know which way to go
so you think i'd learn which way to turn

just a body in the road
just another pretty soul

it is now safe to return

international anthem

The idea for this lyric actually came back in 1997 while I was studying at Belvoir Tech. We had a discussion one day on separatism and the cutlural, political and economic differences between countries and people. I considered "what if everyone was the same?" and "what if there was an 'international anthem' instead of national ones?" so could live together in peace. There are things that represent every person on the planet, such as the need for food and drink to survive, the search for love and wanting to be happy. These basic human similarities were then turned into reality when I wrote the words in October 1998. Realising it basically is "an ocean wave to death", a "mindless countdown to retirement" and that through our employers we are "slaves to money then we die." So the song became an anthem for workers worldwide and maintained its global title. I still play it in my bedroom the odd time. It was while I was working at Tesco I wrote it. I hope people can relate to it. I particularly like the chorus.

written - 1998 (completed October)

lyrics -

monday morning comes too soon
and im sleeping on the moon
waiting for a lame excuse
to get up for orange juice

monday morning lasts too long
like a fool im working on
looking at my watch in shock
that its only 9 o'clock

now its friday afternoon
and ive nothing left to do
but collect my salary
i know ill spend on saturday

on the eve of a golden age im told
at the end of the rainbow theres no gold

monday mornings here again
and im nearly always late
waiting for an alibi
to defend my lack of pride

now its friday afternoon
and im sleeping on the moon
spending all my weekly wages
on things that fill a thousand pages

even in the sun defeat is cold
at the end of the rainbow theres no gold

on the eve of a golden age im told
at the end of the rainbow theres no gold

flushing range (the herald of free enterprise)

Believe it or not, but I started writing this song in 1987 and finished it in 2008. Why it took 21 years I don't know...It came about following the Zeebrugge ferry disaster in March 1987. That night I remember being glued to the BBC News and couldn't quite believe the scenes, people dying from hypothermia in freezing winter water off the coast of Belgium/Netherlands. The next day at school, Sally McKee our P3 teacher got us to do a news report on it. It really interested me, as did many tragedies during the 1980s, particularly those happening around me (Enniskillen bombing, Downpatrick UDR soldiers murder) and this one was the fault of "party time" ferry company (as far as the media and UK public were concerned) Townsend Thoresen. Ironic that the boat which capsized should be called "The Herald of Free Enterprise", when the very reason it sank was pursuit of money ahead of safety. The first line of the song was written in 1987, as was the melody. The rest came last year, when I started working on ferry boats for the first time, at Wightlink and my memory was jogged and I felt I could give this song some meaning.

I feel I've encapsulated the story of the disaster and at the same time, making a decent enough melody. I now work on the Condor Ferries Poole - Cherbourg/St. Malo/Guernsey/Jersey routes. Rest in peace all those innocent victims.

Written - in Bangor in 1987, and on Wightlink boat Cenred in 2008.

Lyrics -

The herald the herald of free enterprise
In March 87 we saw it capsize
The heavens the heavens are weighing me down
The port of Zeebrugge this unknown town

The assistant bosun didn't close the bow doors
But "we're so happy to welcome you onboard"

I want to know what's happening in the world
A flushing range of failures a disease of sloppiness

The herald the herald of free enterprise
On the wings of an angel a devil looks down
A token a token for a cheap winter break
A drop in the ocean we've money to make

The assistant bosun didn't close the bow doors
But "we're so happy to welcome you onboard"

I want to know what's happening in the world
A flushing range of failures a disease of sloppiness

Its ironic that the ships' name the herald of
Free enterprise sank because the company put
Pursuit of money ahead of passenger safety

The assistant bosun didn't close the bow doors

Acoustic sofa version, bournemouth, august 2008:

rare bite of pressure

Back in September 1997 i had somewhat of a creative burst. A lot of things were happening in my life, such as:
- I had left school behind
- I had gone on a family holiday to Florida, USA
- I had started working
- I was 17 and starting to go to pubs
- I spent 5 days a week in my capital city of Belfast
I found myself inspired by many things around me, and between September 1997 - December 1997 I wrote quite a lot of lyrics. They were all inspired by youthfulness, growing up in Northern Ireland and the contrast between my two favourite bands: the blatant optimism of oasis versus the depressing pessimism of manic street preachers. This particular lyric of mine tries to encapsulate that late teen feel, mixed with a line or two about missed a good chance to put your team 1-0 up in a football match (in a rare bite of pressure, im down on my knees again).

The more I listen to this song as I've grown older, the more I understand what I meant and the more I realise it really doesn't seem like something I should have written aged 17. I could narrow it down to every line and tell you what they each mean, you can work out your Belfast grit from a line like "cry if you're not man enough, you can smile but I'm fed up."

The strangest thing of all was that the title and song idea came from a Salt cylinder in the kitchen where I studied at Belvoir in South Belfast, it said "rarebit" on it, and while describing a football match it turned into a "rare bit of pressure." "Bite" just sounded better.

Written - Belvoir Park/The Number 13 Bus, Belfast, Northern Ireland, October 1997

Subject Matter - Everything a 17 year old thought of

lyrics -

hope lies flat on a poisoned surface
everybody's feeling nervous
find yourself a moment of peace
in a war drenched society

cry if you're not man enough
you can smile but I'm fed up

in a rare bite of pressure
i'm down on my knees again
and just for good measure
i'm forfeiting love for fame

cold feet might as well be warm feet
on paracodol sunday mornings
find yourself a minute of wealth
in a state of downward health

troubles tastes all dangerous
don't avoid the obvious

in a rare bite of pressure
i'm losing my way again
my infinite pleasure
is closing its door again

in a rare bite of pressure
i'm down on my knees again
despite all my effort
looks kill in the face again

danger tastes all troublesome
fortune is a contagion

i want to do better but this rare bite of pressure is begging to differ

Acoustic version, bournemouth, 21st may 2009 -

out of love

I wrote this lyric back in 2001 for a good friend of mine at the time, who had just split up with his girlfriend. I felt for him, as I knew he had spent a lot of time and effort on this girl, yet it was all in vain as he was now "out of love." I played it to him once, just after the break up. As life takes us in different ways, I sadly have only seen him twice in the last 6 years, however one of these was in the Errigle Inn in Belfast for his 30th birthday. Bob, its for you...

Written - Late 2001

Lyrics -

You've fallen down a waterfall
I don't know what you dream
You make me laugh you make me cry
Someone else might scream

You poured your heart out to a girl who couldn't fill your heart
You took her to the end of time; she left you at the start

You've fallen in and out of love
Too much was not enough

I bet it broke your heart my friend
I bet it cut you deep
You spent your awake on someone else's sleep

You stalled your dreams all for this girl who couldn't fulfill your dreams
You took her to the end of time; she left you at the start

You've fallen in and out of love
Too much was not enough

You spent your lifetime
You were someone else's lifeline
You spent time that wasn't yours
On time forever hers

And in
And out of love
And in
And out of love
Too much was not enough

You've fallen down a waterfall
I don't know what you dream

you have your life (warszawa skies)

this is a lyric and song that i wrote in 2007 during my second visit to the polish capital of warszawa. i went to the top of the palace of culture and science and i wanted to encapsulate the fact that the stalin empire and communism was once the life here, and now the people "have their life back" is a sort of post communist way. the song for me is also a way of thanking my polish friends rafal, artur, piotr o and piotr p for their hospitality during this visit to poland.

written - the lolek bar, warszawa, august 2007

written by - jonny scott blair and rafal kowalczyk

collection - northern range (track 1)

about - warszawa, the palace of culture and science, the people there, the fall of communism and the happy go lucky spirit evident for all to see

lyrics -

yesterday i was a dog for a girl
waking up in a different world
showing them the best of you
showing them the worst of you

warsaw skies they wont rain on you
warsaw skies they wont rain on you

yesterday's african party
up on stage; false celebrity
showing them the best of you
showing them the worst of you

warsaw skies they wont rain on you
warsaw skies they wont rain on you

this your present from stalin's reign
and you have your life again
and your passion speaks a world to me
and your passion speaks a world of you

warsaw skies they wont rain on you
warsaw skies didnt rain on me

looking out for the lolek bar
a foreign dream can it stretch this far
and you bow to the friends youve made
and you bow to the friends youve made

warsaw skies they wont rain on you
warsaw skies they wont rain on you

acoustic version, bangor, northern ireland, september 2007:

a lyric a day

hi all, i'm jonny scott blair. welcome to my new blog. i have been writing lyrics, poems and songs for as long as i can remember. i have turned a lot of these into guitar based songs. on this new blog i plan to release a lyric a day from now on. these lyrics could be:
- a short poem
- a song i've recorded
- a song i've wrote
- a short lyric
- an idea
- a story
it is basically a creative blog from my mind.

it is 100% copyright jonny scott blair 1980 - 2009.

the lyrics are all mine as are the songs. i have creativity i want to get out of me. so have a read or a listen.

i cannot play guitar or sing well, it is the idea, the lyric and the creativity that counts for me.

anything and everything inspires me from meeting a new person, reading a book, buying a bar of chocolate or washing my hands. we can get happiness and inspiration from the simplest actions sometimes.

ENJOY and leave me a comment please...